Wayne State erupted for 16 runs on 14 hits to take down Minnesota Duluth 16-8 Sunday afternoon and win three out of four games in a Northern Sun Conference baseball series against the Bulldogs.  The Wildcats improve to 17-12 and 13-7 in the league while UMD drops to 13-16 and 9-11 in NSIC games.
            Minnesota Duluth opened the game on the first pitch with a solo homer to grab the early lead, but WSC wasted little time getting on the board scoring two runs in the bottom of the first as Max Heard's RBI double drove home Cam Madsen (single) while Heard scored from second on a long sacrifice fly to center field by Taylor Gill for a 2-1 WSC lead.
            The 'Cats added three more runs in the second on Madsen's RBI single up the middle and a two-run double from Heard to left field putting WSC in front 5-1.
            After UMD scored three times in the third to cut the Wildcat lead to 5-4, WSC took control of the game with a six-run third inning for an 11-4 advantage.  Braden Cannon started the big inning with a two-run, inside-the-park homer to deep center field.  Brayden Chaney added an RBI triple followed by a two-run single from Chase Douglas and an RBI double by Gill to right centerfield to close the scoring.
            Minnesota Duluth scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings while the 'Cats scored another three times in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Gill's three-run homer down the right field line for a 14-6 WSC lead.
            The Bulldogs added a single run in the seventh with WSC scoring two more runs in the bottom of the frame without a hit.  Kaden Young drew a bases loaded walk to score Nate Cunningham (walk) while Blake Stanley crossed home plate on an RBI ground out from Cannon to give WSC a 16-7 cushion.
            Minnesota Duluth closed the scoring in the ninth with one run to make the final 16-8.
            WSC had 14 hits in the win as six Wildcats had multi-hit games.  Gill was 2 for 3 with a homer, double and five RBI.  Heard finished 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and three RBI.  Douglas went 2 for 3 with three stolen bases and three runs scored while Madsen had a 2 for 4 game from the leadoff spot with three runs scored.  Cannon ended 2 for 5 with an inside the park homer and three RBI while Kaden Young also finished with two hits.
            Starter Tyson Romero worked the first two innings for the 'Cats, charged with four runs on two hits.  Reliever Adam Eggert, the first of four relievers, was the only WSC pitcher to not give up a run and earned the win in two innings of relief.  Kadyn Van Hill, Braden Sweet and Clement Febus also saw time on the mound for the Wildcats.
            The Wildcats travel to Marshall, Minnesota Wednesday afternoon for a mid-week NSIC twinbill at Southwest Minnesota State starting at 1:30 p.m.